Career Advice for Success in the Video Production Industry
The Best Thing I Ever Did For My Career
A Compilation of LinkedIn Stories Collected by Patty Mooney
The best thing I did was learn how to juggle my last year of high school and followed my passion into performing across the country with a comedy juggling act. It took total commitment to keep working on the skills but mostly on writing and developing the comedy material that accompanied the juggling. That was my first career for 15 years and bought my first house and then during a lull in bookings my dear brother suggested I go back to school, so I found a film program at the local Los Angeles community college (I’d already written 5 screenplays which I couldn’t sell, so I thought I may learn how to make)
From that beginning I got into the Production Sound Mixing business and bought my second house. My third career has begun, in fits and starts, with a short documentary on relationships and a mockumentary which I directed, starred in and co-wrote and which is now being edited.
Now I have a feature script into a producer/actor which may be perfect for the lead role and be able to attain the money to make the low budget movie with!
James Ridgley, Independent Motion Pictures and Film Professional
Wake up in the morning! It’s a gift.
Christopher Toyne, Owner, CTTV
After skimming the responses, I think the answer can be summarized as “took a big risk and made a major change”
Kimberly Greenhut, Video Production – Travel and Outdoor
Something I would not tell a college student today to do would be “drop out and follow your dream” but that’s exactly what I did. At the age of 20, having taken all the Creative Writing classes I could in my Freshman and Sophomore years, my dreams instructed me to head west and be a writer. I hitchhiked from Michigan to California with about a hundred dollars in my pocket, and it’s a good thing I knew how to type. In San Francisco I signed up with a temp agency, started earning enough money to rent an apartment, and gradually worked myself up from secretary to office manager. Circumstances then led me to San Diego where on Valentine’s Day of 1982 I met my husband on the balcony of La Paloma Theater in Encinitas. We have been together ever since. It is my husband who drew me into the field of video production, something I never would have planned or guessed I would be doing, and loving so much. So I would say, follow your dreams and yet be open to new and exciting opportunities in life.
Patty Mooney, Partner, Crystal Pyramid Productions
Hard work and action is where it is at in any field. But dreaming is fun ! For example… when you buy a lottery ticket every now and then you dream what you would do with the money. It’s fun. I think hard work in conjunction with envisioning your dream and seeing it and believing it is the key.
Sally Blake, Voice On Fire
Dreaming is like a blueprint to your future. It’s a fine balance between dreaming, and living in the “here and now.” You also have to be careful not to sabotage yourself with such thoughts as “I’ll be happy when…” or “I can’t….” That sort of thinking just places roadblocks on your own path. You are the one manifesting your dreams, whether positive or negative.
Patty Mooney, Partner, Crystal Pyramid Productions
Wow…lots of incredible energy and shares out there on this question. My view as a composer is that I wouldn’t have been at the Sundance Film Festival just now if I had not taken risks in my life. To me it is all about being of service to the soul of the world with any project I work on even if it’s a dark film or tv show. I offered that to the panels I participated in at Sundance which addressed the issues of risks and artistic relationships. The key is to do it all with “love in your heart” … If anyone out there is interested in working with a composer with this message feel free to contact me or check out my website.
I end this with a great quote by an Indian sadu…
“Every good thing flows from the attitude of respect. For this reason, the
most important action you can perform is to welcome yourself and others with
respect and love.” — Baba Muktananda
Michael Mollura, Composer/Writer
Dreams are great but they remain dreams until you decide to put in the hard work to make them a reality. One thing that is, unfortunately, pounded into most kids these days is that dreams are ONLY dreams. They are told not to waste their time on dreams; grow up; start planning for your future; get a REAL job.
Well, I have a REAL job. And it started as a dream.
When I went into college, I was pre-med. I had been working in theatre since I was twelve for fun but, hey, I figured, let’s get real. So I chose medicine as a direction. Without boring you with the details, at a certain point, I decided to follow my dream and go into entertainment. Now, I just had to call my Dad, a 23-year career military man, and tell him I was changing my major from Medicine to Theatre because I was going to be an actor. When I told him, his reaction? “Hell, you’ve always loved doing it, why not go for it?”
My point being that I had great parents who not only allowed me to dream, they let me know that they supported my dreams if I was willing to put in the effort to achieve them. They gave me the benefit of their advice and experience, but they never said “No, don’t do it.”
A friend’s father put it best when he said “Most people spend half their lives learning a career. Then they spend the other half learning to like it.” The key is to find what you love and make that pay your way. Maybe not the easiest path to take, but definitely doable and certainly more rewarding. Kids need to know that. Heck, all of us need to know that.
Steven Sears, Writer/Producer in Television and Film
Well, I agree that dreams are a necessary propellant in life. They allow you to see yourself in new and dynamic ways, and provide motivation to get up in the morning. But, dreams without a plan…without hard work…and without connecting with others…are fruitless. The ways that I”ve fulfilled my dreams so far, were to think beyond myself. I think of the best ways to try and achieve my dreams while I help others achieve theirs. We all come into this world alone, and leave alone…but the process from beginning to end is a collaborative one…in business…and in life.
Camille Feanny, Independent Program Development Professional, Former CNN Producer
Believe in yourself is always the first, hardest step. It gets easier from there.
Thomas Orsi, Complete Audio Post Production
I moved to Paris (from Los Angeles where I grew up) to start my film career.
Stephen Mitchell, Owner, Cine Paris
1- Got my Master’s degree
2- Won an Emmy
3- Started my own company
Farzad Wafapoor, AdvanTech Media, Directing Manager
The only 2 credits I ever received: “Sound Engineer” on “Dangerous”-comedian/artist Bill Hicks, and “Apprentice Sound Editor” on “Velvet Goldmine” 1998, Miramax Films.
Nancy Albino, Broadcast Professional, AV Systems Installer, Sound Engineer/Editor
In 2000 we flew and landed Zoegling SG38, a glider which we brought from a museum in Germany, right in front of the Giza pyramids in Egypt, during the biggest NATO manoeuvres in history. We had permission to come within 40km of the pyramids….
In 2003 we produced the first ever moving in focus images of a wild Sumatran Tiger. The scientist with whom we were had studied the animal for 12 years and never seen one….
Wolfgang Knoepfler, Owner of Magic Touch Films
Video is a phenomenal medium for showing progress and change, and for Saxx, it’s a vital tool for their blossoming, new identity. It’s about changing the status quo and making a difference.
